S1: It’s time for Midday Edition on KPBS. Today’s arts and culture show takes us to a festival celebrating indigenous heritage. Then we’ll tell you where you can find the best in Asian cinema , plus your weekend preview. I’m Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. You’ll find art with a purpose at the Southern California Indigenous Culture and Art Festival.

S2: It sends a message that our culture isn’t fragile. It’s powerful.

S1: Then we’ll tell you about an upcoming mini festival with the Pack Arts Movement plus. Mabel’s gone fishing to Mabel’s gone painting. We’ll tell you what that’s about in your weekend preview. Midday edition is up next. Our region runs deep with indigenous heritage and an upcoming festival will celebrate it. The Southern California Indigenous Culture and Art Festival will feature everything from storytelling to fashion with indigenous designs. It’s happening in Escondido this Saturday. Joining me to talk about it is Johnny Contreras. He is a Kumeyaay sculptor and cultural bearer of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians. Johnny , welcome.

S3: Thank you. I’d like to say hello and Kumeyaay and happy to be here.

S1: Well , we’re happy to have you here. Also showing Peters she’s a featured artist who brings awareness to missing and murdered indigenous people through her artwork show. And thanks for being here.

S2: Thank you. I appreciate you for having me.

S1: I’m so glad that you both are here. You know , Johnny , this is the first event of its kind in the city of Escondido.

S3: We’ve had other types of interactions with the city of Escondido being that the valley , Santa , Squaw Valley that’s in Escondido is the namesake of our band. There have always been interactions. I don’t think they’ve always been on the forefront. So there are some other relationships , a couple of other events that went on. The questions arose. You know , how come we’re not doing anything to really bring light to the culture that is in Escondido ? That’s always been in Escondido. And out of that , you know , both councils , the city council and the tribal council had a great idea of , hey , let’s do something that’ll showcase the art in that contemporary form , the culture and just a cultural sharing and an activity. Mhm.

S1: Mhm. And Sheila , when you’re one of the featured artists in the festival.

S2: And I also do a lot of street art. So I just go out into the streets and kind of paste up my art and kind of see what happens from there. Um , I think it’s a cool way to interact with community and whatever city I’m in. And I just have found that it’s kind of a new way to bring awareness to these important matters that , I mean , me being someone who was born and raised in Los Angeles , I really had no connections to my tribe , to my culture , and I really didn’t have that till I started , you know , kind of thinking , hey , I want I want to learn more about who I am. Where my heritage is from. I’m. I’m Mexican on my mom’s side and native on my dad’s side. So , um , it’s just , you know , a reconnection to who I am and community building to others who may have a same or similar story and just building community.

S1:

S2: And it’s only coming to light now because a lot of our people from different tribes who are getting , you know , more famous , more popular , getting more followers on Instagram and all that , they’re having this chance to speak out about it. And finally , some people are doing things to bring more education around it or , you know , making a day throughout the year to bring recognition to it. Um , but it’s something that has been a prominent issue between here , the US and Canada. It’s just hasn’t had any light shed towards it until , you know , now with social media and all of that. Wow.

S1: Wow.

S2: Um , so a lot of people ask and wonder how I’ve developed my style so quickly , because I’ve only been really doing this for about a year and a half. But I just tell them it kind of really comes from my heart. I don’t like to do anything that I just don’t feel any connection towards. And a lot of my work is very bold kind of street style , kind of grunge , and I like to focus on the medicine wheel colors , which are red , black , yellow and white. Um , so it’s very simple , very bold , very eye catching.

S1: Johnny , um , I understand you did the lead artwork for this weekend’s festival , and I’ll do my best to describe it here , but it’s a silhouette of a bear with scenery inside. So tell me about your vision here.

S3: It is , it is. It is just that it’s , um. It’s an older Lionel that I did back in oh seven. I’m primarily a sculptor , and I’m known for a lot of my public sculpture work. But as Selwyn was mentioning , you know , there’s there are lots of different lines we take as indigenous people , uh , and lines and art and lines of description , you know , there’s that critical path , the things that come throughout our life and that , um , you know , sustain a place in our life and our everyday practices. Uh , it’s a piece of a larger piece , and we were able to take it graphic. The graphic artist that we use , she was able to take it and bring it in side the silhouette of the bear. And we’re using that as the first placeholder for the inaugural celebration with San Juan Escondido. And we also have an art contest and where we’re going to look for indigenous artists to put new artwork in that placeholder. Every year. We have some submissions that will be , uh , announcing at Saturday’s event.

S1: And , Johnny , I want to talk about the land. This event will be held on.

S3: So , um , there’s a really good book written on the land tenure. Uh , basically how the reservation , why , the reservation is located up in Valley Center. And at the turn of the century , um , when everything was being processed before the establishment of Squaw Reservation in 1910 , as the county was doing the recording , they put down the wrong township. They put one township north , which put us in Valley Center , as opposed to leaving us in our original village site , which is Squaw Valley. So a majority of families have had their roots in Escondido from the very beginning , because a lot of the villagers , including my own grandmother , um , didn’t leave that area , uh , and didn’t move to the reservation while some other families , um , saw what was going on , and they relocated to the reservation. And eventually , um , the grandchildren and children eventually moved up here on the reservation where we are now. So the fact that Escondido being our neighbor , um , along with the fact that we have this long history there and that we’re returning in this particular capacity because it’s not to say that ceremony , uh , in interactions , all these other aspects of our of our culture , have it been taking place in Escondido because they have , you know , we’ve had , um , a continuity back to our culture that’s existed in Escondido from time immemorial. But as Saturday will be the first time in a contemporary sense that we’re all coming together and saying we’re putting our stamp on it and saying , Escondido and Sam Pasqua are working together to acknowledge our existence. And so it’s a powerful thing.

S1: Um , you know , before I let you you both go. You know , I’m also wondering if you can speak about the significance of this festival in 2025 , at a time when many cultural traditions and organizations are under attack.

S2: And it sends a message that our culture isn’t fragile , it’s powerful. And we are built up of strong community , people who have the power to work in every area and make things come true. Um , and I think sometimes that can scare people because As people ask me all the time , like , can I go to these things ? Or , you know , I don’t want to be disrespectful , but I just kind of tell them that it’s about like reclaiming our space and inviting others to learn , listen and grow. That’s the ultimate way you can be in harmony.

S1: And Johnny , I’ll give you the final word here.

S3: You know , I would I would parallel everything Sue and had to say especially , you know , what was it ? Listen , learn and grow. Yes.

S4: Yes. Correct.

S3: Yeah , exactly. You know , in today’s , um , happenings , you know , the , you know , the you know , I love the words sustainability , continuity. You know , existence , um , resistance. You know , that we are able to still see each other in that critical path. But as a people , we’ve been on this path for time in memoriam. We’ve been moving in this direction in. And the direction and the continuity and the people become more recognizable. When sometimes , when when things around them start to fall apart and pull apart. And it’s contemporary age with a lot of the with the attacks , you know , that come you know , with what I like to look at is , you know , mutual understanding , mutual respect with individuals and groups saying that , you know , you know , you either fall in line and you follow this linear aspect or you’re not going to receive funding , you’re not going to be recognized. You’re not going to be respected for who you actually are. And I’m 62 years old , so I was around in the 70s when , you know , prejudice was , you know , I don’t know , I don’t like the word abundant , but it was apparent. And now here we are at this space in time. And it’s it’s the time where the the strong will survive , the continuity will show and will continue to move in stride forward. And as we as people love to say , in a good way , you know , we go down what often people would describe as the red road , you know , the road of respect , the road of understanding. But it’s been a it’s sometimes it’s a road of attrition , you know , there you , you there’s not always a lot that that’s going to support you and carry you forward. And but you need to survive. And that’s what I see. The strong will remain standing and that’s what I believe we are.

S1: I’ve been speaking with Johnny Baker Contreras. He’s a Kumeyaay sculptor and cultural bearer of the San Pasqual Band involved with the festival. Johnny , thank you so much.

S3: My pleasure.

S1: Also , Sheila and Peters , she’s a featured artist who brings awareness to missing and murdered indigenous people through her work. Show and thank you.

S2: Thank you. I appreciate all of you guys.

S1: We appreciate you both. And the first annual Southern California Indigenous Culture and Art Festival is this Saturday in Escondido. More details on our website at KPBS. Coming up , Pack Arts Director Bryan , who is excited to share another mystery kung fu theater at this year’s annual Spring Showcase.

S5: Cinema is is about movement. It’s about choreography. It’s about design. It’s about the body. And like , where else do you see this all come together with as much force and creativity than in the classic kung fu films.

S1: Hear more when KPBS Midday Edition returns. You’re listening to KPBS Midday Edition , I’m Jade Hindman. Pacific Arts Movement will host the 14th edition of their spring showcase next week , where you can see the best of Asian cinema. KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando sat down with artistic director Brian Who , as well as filmmaker Joe Tillman , whose new documentary will close the festival. Take a listen , Brian.

S6: We are on the eve of yet another spring showcase. This is your 14th and you have an opening night film , which is a documentary. And although you don’t have outright horror films in this event , I would say there’s some pretty horrific things that are uncovered in this documentary. So tell us about that.

S5: I mean , there’s nothing more apocalyptic than the state of our environment. Yes. If you’re thinking about how it’s all going to end , it might be related to that. This is a documentary about a company off of around the San Pedro Long Beach area in the 1970s was dumping a bunch of DDT into the water.

S7: It was one of those holy crap moments. Somebody just filled this up with industrial waste , kicked it off of a ship , and it’s just been sitting here on the seafloor ever since.

S5: But decades later , it’s definitely there. And so there’s a diagram in the film where they have these spots where like hotspots of pollution and this one right off the coast of San Diego. And so , yeah , so a few years ago , a LA times journalist named Rosanna Shaw did a huge front page story about this. And people didn’t realize that the LA times was actually turning this into a full feature length documentary. So she co-directed this film and she’s , I guess , in some ways the hero. Although to me , there are a lot of heroes in this film , particularly the scientists , the researchers , academics who kind of like , literally like digging what we don’t see. To find out not just the extent of the pollution , but to what extent can we do something about it right now ? And we knew we wanted this to be opening night , not only because we feel like everyone should watch this film , but also because a lot of these scientists , these heroes , are based here in San Diego. They drew from research that was done at Scripps and also at San Diego State University. Researchers here who have been dedicating years to doing this research them and their graduate students.

S6: And your festival is bookended with documentaries , and your closing night has a more positive vibe to it. And this is called Between Goodbyes , which looks at a very interesting take on adoption stories.

S5: Yeah , I mean , at the Asian Film Festival , we’ve been showing transnational adoption stories for so long now. I mean , this is one of the it’s like it’s one of those stories that always works like when you when you follow somebody who’s been adopted in the United States but came from Korea , from China , in this case , from Korea. And she grew up in the Netherlands , not knowing who her birth family is. And then those reunion scenes and like getting to know the person who could like the person you could have been like that never gets old. What makes this one a little bit different ? I mean , there’s a lot of things that make it different , but one of the issues that’s that’s different in this film is that our lead character , Mieke , is a lesbian and her family in Korea. When they’ve reached out to her , they get to know her , find out that their daughter is a lesbian. And what I loved about the film is they don’t care. They’re so happy to meet their daughter. And maybe it’s just , you know , like decades of guilt , of feeling like , I’m so happy to have my daughter. It doesn’t matter. We had no expectations to begin with. And this is the family that we have now. And so the film is going to Korea , not only getting to know her parents , but also introducing her parents to her new wife.

S6: And a good chunk of this year’s festival is taken up by what you’re calling. I think it’s called two by two. And this is pairing up two filmmakers and two trilogies. We’re not getting the full trilogies , but these films that look to characters over decades and these filmmakers are working decades apart. So talk a little bit about this two by two program. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. So thus all started when I saw a film last year called village Rock stars two. It’s directed by a at that much. It’s not a new director , but Rima Das in India , she’s become one of the most exciting new voices in India. Her films are they’re like sweet village stories , but they’re also , you know , observational. They’re not packed with story. But in other words , like usually art films don’t get sequels. And , you know , I mean , she did the sequel because first of all , the first one was such a critical hit in India , but also the first one starred her own cousin. It was made by her family , and it set in her the village she grew up in. And she feels committed to that story , and she wants to come back to that story years later to see her actual cousin years later and how she’s grown. And I thought , wait , how does this ever happen ? Are there art films ? Including in a place like India that gets sequels ? And when I thought , well , of course , there is one of the greatest sequels of all time , one of the great. Well , like you said , the great trilogies of all time. And that’s The Apu Trilogy , directed by Satyajit Ray. The first film in that , Pather Panchali , is also about young kids in a village. And the sequel follows their story again years later. And I thought , well , this would be a really fun pairing of pairings. And like you said , yeah , not just years apart within each universe , but also years apart in the history of Indian cinema. So you get a sense of like how this sort of art cinema in the 1950s that really put Indian cinema on the map. I mean , Satyajit Ray is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time , period , from any place , from any decade. And Rima Das , to me is one of these really exciting new voices that who knows where. I don’t know , 40 , 50 years from now , we’ll be talking about her. And so I think this is going to be a fun afternoon of surprising and uncanny resonances across the years and across the decades.

S6: Well , I always have to thank you for your festivals , because you always manage to program something that is brand new. A discovery to me. So village Rock stars was something I had never heard of , and I loved that film , but I think possibly topping it was another film called Soldier of Love , which I don’t remember seeing a lot of films from Kazakhstan.

S5: So it hasn’t played very many festivals at all. But then I saw the trailer. And like you said , like we we’ve played classic films. We had a classic film last year that was sort of a brutal western. So usually , like you think of classic films as either a little bit dreary , a little bit dusty. Um , and this is one that’s full of color and movements and action , and it’s because it’s a full blown musical. People break out into song and dance in this movie , and so part of the treat is just seeing Kazakhstan like it’s an MGM musical. And so that’s itself already a kind of a shock that it’s worth the admission already. But then to find out that it’s also kind of a first , the music is quite good. It’s like based on famous rock pop songs from Kazakhstan in the 80s and 90s. The choreography is really there’s some pretty stunning moments of dance in airports and stairwells. It shows a lot of creativity and artistry. Yeah , so it’s a total blast.

S6: Well , and of course , my favorite part of Spring Showcase. And any time you do this is Mystery Kung Fu Theater. And , you know , I’m , I’m a little disappointed in San Diego that they don’t pack the house for this. But once again , I will try to encourage people to go. And this is an event where you don’t tell people what the film is. So explain a little bit about what people can expect from this. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. Mystery kung fu theater. This is inspired by television days. Right. When you just know there’s something on Kung Fu Afternoon on TV in a certain channel and you don’t know what they’re going to show , and you just show up for it and you have a great time. And so we want to replicate that sense of discovery , but also like communal pleasure to know that there’s a bunch of other screaming fans in this audience that they too don’t need to know what the film is. I will say usually there’s there have been years where like two days before Mystery Theater , I don’t I don’t know what I’m showing it. This year , I know I’m quite excited about this one.

S6: Can you give us the decade ? Um , is that too much ? Will you have to kill me ? Yeah.

S5: We may not hear from you again.

S6: And you also have a , I guess you would call it an additional retro screening or a Restoration you have. I’m a Ghost , which is H.P. Mendoza , who is somebody who’s shown films at multiple festivals with you. And explain what this is.

S5: Well , first of all , I am a ghost is , for me , one of the the great Asian American horror films. And so HP reached out to me a few months ago saying , hey , I did a new remastering of the film because the technology has advanced since then , and at first I was like , I don’t know if I have a space for something like as specific as this , but it turns out that , you know , we’ve been trying to do more with the digital Jim cinema , and I know you do a lot of events there , too , and we thought this might be the perfect space for I Am a ghost. It’s kind of intimate space , and that already plays a lot of more like indie and cult films. And he’s willing to come down. So we’re going to do a Q&A with him.

S6: Well , that’s exciting news. And as always , I am looking forward to the Spring showcase. And thank you for programming wonderful films again. Thank you. And now we’re going to hear my interview with Joe Tillman , whose film Between Goodbyes is the closing night film for Spring Showcase. Give us a little background on the film so people know what it’s about.

S8: Sure , it’s about a original mother and a queer adoptee struggling to reconnect and stay in touch and keep their reunion intact over the long haul. And I use the word original mother intentionally , as I’ve learned from other original mothers in my research for the film. There’s a real rejection growing around the term birth mother. So really trying to move away from that and use more empowering language. That , to me , also feels more accurate in calling people our original families.

S6: And a lot of times you see adoption stories from the point of view of the child trying to find the parents. And in this case , it was the parents trying to find the daughter. Yeah.

S8: Yeah. Yeah. As soon as I heard about Okun story , I was immediately struck by the fact that her and her husband searched for their daughter for over ten years. And like you’re saying , it’s a real inversion of the usual narrative around who searches for who. And while doing research for the film , it was new information to me that so many birth parents do initiate searches , but because they don’t have legal rights to do so. There’s no statistics available and really very few resources growing up.

S9: I would imagine some times , like I have Korean parents somewhere , but I never thought that we could actually reunite. I stayed wondering.

S8: You know , for me , growing up as a Korean adoptee , there was no end to the many versions that I imagined of what my original mother or family might be like. And I feel like to this day , there’s still a real lack of information available about what they think or feel about their relinquishment of parental rights , how it affects them in the long term , and how they feel about wanting to search for their own children or not. Through making the film , I think I got a really amazing opportunity to meet Okun over many years , and it really changed what I thought of the whole adoption narrative. I think it’s always over focused on the children , and it never really asks about the families or the parents left behind.

S6:

S8: I met her in 2016 at a conference for adoptees that’s held every three years in Seoul called ICA.

S9: It was actually nice to be among only Korean adoptees. Being with all these people that are never going to be wherever they were adopted to , and never going to be really Korean. I was kind of feeling like home.

S8: And just got to know Mika more , and we thought it would be so wonderful to make something to speak to these other pieces of representation within our community that we felt like , to your point , you know , haven’t been out there before. I mean , I think there’s been a few things on queer adoptees , but , you know , that was definitely another piece that we wanted to highlight how coming out across cultures and how that affects wanting to reunite , which I think a lot of types of families can relate to just how to work through differences.

S6: And you mentioned that you met her at an organization meeting for adoptees.

S8: Just , um , all the identity pieces. And I think the themes of searching for your place in the world , searching for family and some sort of sense of belonging and home , and also just , I think a million shades of grief are in there , but I hope it’s alongside a lot of joy. And yeah , the way that I think laughter always mix with mixes with crying. Yeah. And it’s really just about two incredibly strong women that I think , um , part of the reconciliation is just that they recognize each other as both being these , these tough survivors.

S6: All right. Well , I want to thank you very much for talking about your film.

S8: Well , thank you so much. It was great to meet you.

S1: That was filmmaker Joe Damon and Packard’s artistic director , Brian , who speaking with Beth Accomando about the Packard Spring Showcase. The mini festival runs from April 25th through May 1st at Ultra Star Cinemas in Mission Valley. And if you want to listen to more , the full interview is at KPBS. Still ahead. Food meets painting at Mabel’s. Gone fishing.

S10: That’s what’s so special about Mabel’s , is that , you know , it is a very unique experience. And it’s hard to find those gems here. You know.

S1: Hear about the art and your weekend preview when KPBS Midday Edition returns. You’re listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I’m Jade Hindman. Mabel’s Gone Fishing is one of eight Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand recognized restaurants in San Diego. Recently , the restaurant added an art program called Mabel’s Gone Painting , where local artists are invited to take over their fishbowl space and hold art exhibitions. It’s part of owner Chelsea Coleman’s commitment to bringing creativity to life through good food , art and community in her restaurants. Currently on view is artist Al De Hoya’s Linoleum Printing. KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans sat down with Coleman and curator Alejandra Franke to talk about the pairing of food and art. Here’s that conversation.

S11:

S12: Our M.O. as a business seems to be the suite next to us becomes available. Our landlord asks us if we want to rent it. We say yes , and we’re like , what do we do ? And we’re like art. So we did it at the Rose. And we now have a bakery called Secret Sister there. But for two years we had a program called Nashua with Joshua where we did exhibits and art talks. And then this iteration , we had rented the space next to Mabel’s , and we’re using it as a private dining room and needed some office space. And we had a former employee who was really interested in getting an art dinner series off the ground. Uh , her name is Ryan. She’s since started her own company. It’s called Common Thread if you want to support it. But when she left the company , I reached out to Alejandra , who is a complete and total expert curator in San Diego , knowing that she could up our game. Um , and she has significantly and I think , you know , art and dining and food , it’s all a creative process and it’s really fun and rather special when it comes together.

S11:

S12: It’s really dynamic. It’s a way to create new conversations , bring new people in the door , interact with the community. It’s amazing to be able to support local artists because that’s what we really rely on as chefs and restaurant people is our neighborhood. We’re neighborhood restaurants , you know , so we need the community to come and support us.

S11:

S10: So over the past couple of years , I’ve been in a studio space with Tara , and we’ve been sharing this space and providing resources for artists. So the artists that we are showcasing are folks that , um , are in the space and wanted to give them an opportunity to showcase their work , because in the studio , it’s a workspace. So we can’t necessarily , um , promote it or , um , invite people into the space. So , um , it was a wonderful opportunity. Um , when Chelsea reached out , it was like the timing was quite perfect. And so the first artist that we showed was Tara , and she did a watercolor series that was really wonderful and playful. Then currently we’re showing all the Royals and she does , um , graphite on paper. And so they’re like these wonderful , like print series that she did. And then coming up next is Cristina Valenzuela , who , um , does oil on panels. So it’s a nice variety , but it’s still within , like the folks that are within the space that we call form.

S11: Alejandra , from curating other spaces throughout your career and venues , how does this sort of thing at a restaurant compare , like roughly in terms of sales , in terms of like the impact on an artist’s career , like when their work is shown in a place like a restaurant or somewhere bustling ? Yes.

S10: Um , it’s really interesting because many moons ago , when I was living in Oakland , there was a couple restaurants that I went to where they had like really good artwork there from , uh , local folks. But to me , it made so much sense to have beautiful , amazing , cool artwork in these spaces versus like the normal , like things that you would come across of , like whatever people decide to put in restaurants. Um , so personally , I also love to indulge in food. It’s like I really enjoy it. I’ve always worked in the service industry , and I feel like a lot of my friends and artists also have worked in the service industry. So , um , it kind of like is this bridge that brings the front of house , the back of house , and the people coming into the restaurant like it unifies it a little. And I find that to be really cool. And again , it just seems to make sense. And so I was excited for this opportunity to do that and for it to be a little bit more low maintenance as well , not having to do as much promotion as I normally would have to. I just like , haven’t been on social media as much as I’d like to , and so it kind of relieves that pressure a bit. And knowing that Mabel’s just has such a great community and everyone that works there , I’m friends with people that work there. So it it feels like I’m in the right place , like supported by the right people. As far as like support , it’s been great. Like there’s people coming in , people purchasing art , and it’s just speaking to a new audience as well. Even though a lot of the folks that do end up buying are my friends , but at least I know. At least I know that , like , it speaks to a bigger audience. You know , like there there’s like a little bit of a less like pressure of of that.

S11: I guess this is like a question for both of you. The restaurant decor is a big deal. Like when a new restaurant opens , there’s magazine articles about the design , the interior design.

S12: And we built fishbowl to feel a little bit like a salon , so it’s a little bit living roomy. There’s a big old Persian rug in the middle of it , and it’s warm colors. Um , and I love the idea of having a salon because we’re a women owned business. I just I like that idea. Um , and then as far I mean , I can just say personally , we signed the lease for maples in 2019 and it didn’t open until 2022 , late 2022. So I mean , I spent like 4 to 5 years thinking about what I wanted it to look like. And that’s a huge a huge part of the experience , right ? Um , so there’s two dog portraits , but that’s it. But the idea there was we really wanted the collateral to be fun and it to be about the food and the people cooking it for you. So that was sort of the idea for the dining room. Yeah.

S10: Yeah. I think it’s I think it’s just like a fun thing in general. Like , personally , I strive to find happiness , and I think that art and music and food are those things that make me happy. And when I’m in a space where I can feel that the food was made , you know , with so much like love and care and like it’s so unique and it’s like from a local farm in the same way where you look at the you can look up at the artwork and , and feel like it’s from someone that you know or like someone that works down the street. And so it’s just really nice to be surrounded by like minded people. I think that aesthetically it looks really cool , obviously , but I think that the the feeling of comfort that it brings , I think that’s really important. And like , that’s kind of what my goal is overall is to make people feel good and comforted and like , supported. And so I think overall that’s just the type of like atmosphere or like environment that is created within these spaces.

S12: I also maybe want to add that I feel like dining in a restaurant if done well , like the whole thing is art. And when I think specifically to marbles , our our light fixtures were done by a glassblower who’s out of bread and salts. Our plates were hand thrown in. Encinitas. It’s all art. Like if it’s a painting on the wall , or if it’s the experience , or if it’s the dish that’s beautiful in front of you that you know , with food on it , constructed by a professional who’s working really hard at their craft. That’s all art. Absolutely.

S10: Absolutely. Yeah. And like , I think that , um , it’s just it’s like really taking action on , like , how to support your community , you know , like what Chelsea was saying , like , from the plates to the lamps , like the food and the art , everything. We’re just like , yeah , just trying to find ways to support one another during these times. And I think that it really goes like a long way to do that.

S11:

S10: It’s hard because it’s like it’s you can find it , but it’s just not always there. Um , and I would love to see more of it. I think that we can. I think we can get better at that. That’s what’s so special about Mabel’s is that , you know , it is a very unique experience. And it’s hard to find those gems here. You know , but I. I definitely feel it going towards that direction.

S1: That was Chelsea Coleman , owner of the Rose and Mabel’s Gone Fishing , and Alejandra Frank , who curates Mabel’s art program. Speaking with KPBS , Julia Dixon Evans and Julia joins me now. Hey , Julia.

S11: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having. Me.

S1: Me. So glad you’re here , as always. So how can we check it out ? How can we see that art and the food. And it’s an experience.

S11: This weekend marks the last couple of days to see this particular artist. And the fishbowl gallery is open. The whole time the restaurant is open , it’s like the salon style space where even if you don’t have a reservation , you can still pop in there , grab a drink and sit down and take it for me. Should get a Negroni. And it’s so good. Noted. And Mabel’s is gonna close out the show with an artist and a winemaker. Dinner with Silvana Pigeon , a second generation vintner from via de Guadalupe. And that dinner is going to be held Tuesday , April 22nd.

S1: All right. That’s something to look forward to. And let’s take a look at what else is out there in the art and culture world. Tonight is the free public opening of the new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art , San Diego. Tell us about a burial in Shanghai. Yeah.

S11: Yeah. This is painter Yan Ming. It debuted in Paris in 2019 at the Musée d’Orsay. And it’s this installation that’s actually just like three gigantic works of art , massive canvases , each in his sort of like , signature style , this monochromatic painting style that moves between expressionism and then , like , really specific realism. And there’s nods to like traditional portraiture and landscape painting , but with contemporary characters and these like contemporary touches , too. And these are almost like overwhelmingly huge. Some of the figures in the landscape painting where you’d normally expect them to be almost like tiny specks of paint in the distance. Those people are life size. It’s really incredible. And Yan Ming is doing this amazing art worldwide , so it’s a treat to see his work here. It opened today. The museum’s free all day and open late until 7 p.m. , and then these paintings will be on view through January 4th.

S1: All right. And for some classical music and jazz , the San Diego Symphony is holding a mardi Gras celebration. And that’s on Saturday , which sounds really fun.

S11: So it’s centered on trumpeter , singer and conductor Byron Stripling and a couple other performers Sydney McSweeney , Bobby Floyd and Jim Rupp. Along with the symphony , they’ll perform New Orleans jazz music inspired by the legendary Mardi Gras scene there with the nightclubs and the parades. And we’re listening to Byron Stripling performing with some members of the West Michigan Symphony a couple of years ago. This is when the Saints go Marching In , one of those quintessential New Orleans jazz songs. And this is at Jacobs Music Center Saturday night. So it’s the very tail end of the lent season that Mardi Gras traditionally kicks off. Mm.

S1: Mm. Very nice. And some more music in last week’s episode of our arts and culture podcast The Finest. You spotlighted a musician called Shua. So tell us about his work and how we can check out a show.

S11: Yeah , so he’s playing at the Belly Up tonight with the Sleepy Pearls , another great local act. And she has just like , this really genuine , incredible approach to making music and building a life and a career around music. We’re listening to him performing his song broken in our studio at KPBS.

S13: Did you make me like this ? Will I always be so broken ? Broken , broken.

S11: And he was raised in southeast San Diego , and he actually signed a record deal when he was a teenager. But it fell through , and he found himself nearly homeless a couple of years later. And he’s 30 now and still committed to music. It’s all he knows and all he wants to do , and he’s.

S13: Great at it.

S1: Wow , wow. Incredible story. And his voice is just great. You can hear Schiller’s full story on the finest wherever you get your podcast. And as always , you can find details on these and more arts [email protected]. I’ve been speaking with KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans. Julia.

S14: Thank you. Thank you , J. This was. Fun.

S13: Fun. You make me like this. Did you put me together ? The broken. Broken.

S1: That’s our show for today. I’m your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.